First China-assembled Airbus A320 makes maiden flight

May 18, 2009, 11:04 GMT

   Beijing - The first Airbus A320 plane assembled outside Europe made a successful four-hour test flight from the north-eastern Chinese city of Tianjin on Monday, Airbus said.

   'This A320 assembled in China unquestionably demonstrated the same quality and performance as those assembled and delivered in Hamburg or Toulouse,' Fernando Alonso, head of flight testing for Airbus, said in a statement.

   'Our commitment is to provide the very best aircraft and services to our customers and operators in China, while applying the same rules, procedures and quality standards as for any other Airbus aircraft produced in Europe,' said Laurence Barron, the president of Airbus China.

   The first Tianjin-assembled A320 is scheduled to be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing next month for operation by Sichuan Airlines.

   Airbus said it has orders for more than 700 planes from Chinese customers, mostly for models from the A320 series.

   Its Tianjin assembly line is scheduled to deliver 11 A319 or A320 planes this year, with planned production of four aircraft per month by the end of 2011, the company said.

   The assembly plant, opened in September, is a joint-venture between Airbus and a Chinese government-backed consortium.

   Chinese state media last year said total investment in the plant was between 8 billion and 12 billion yuan (1.2 billion to 1.8 billion dollars).

   Air passenger numbers are forecast to climb by 10 per cent per annum in China over the next decade.